Ship&#39;s lifeboat, raft, and like life-saving apparatus for use at sea



- Feb. 11, 1930,

'L. GHIRARDI SHIPS LIFEB'OAT, RAFT, AND LIKE LIFE SAVING APPARATUS FOR USE AT SEA Filed June -1 1928 Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITE T QFFICE LUIGI GHIRARDI, OE GENOA, ITALY SHIPS LIFEBOAT, RAFT, AND LIKE LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS FOR USE AT SEA Application filed June 1, 1923, Serial No. 282,205, and in Italy June 6, 1927.

The present invention relates to improvements in ships life-boats, rafts and like lifesaving apparatus to be carried on board ship for emergency use.

In particular, the invention relates to reversible boats having two bottoms each of which occupies the area of the well of the boat or the like, such bottoms being spaced apart to present intermediate compartments.

Apparatus according to this invention is provided with two side walls which extend fore and aft, an inner bottom. an outer bottom having a concavity, two side or bilge keels located at the intersection of the said outer bottom and the said walls, the said outer bottom between said heels and the edges of said concavity being flat, and doors in said flat portion of the outer bottom and in said inner bottom adapted to permit access to the space between said bottoms, the said concavity in said outer bottom being adapted when the apparatus is stowed on board ship to house an independent float resting on inclined sup ports.

A life-boat constructed as above described, when stowed on board ship, rests upright on two end blocks, one near the bow and the other near the stern. Between these two end blocks are two wedge-shaped blocks which support the float partly housed in the concavity.

The float, being of generally cylindrical form, is adapted to roll on the inclined plane presented by the wedges, which latter are inclined downwards and outwards.

This float retains its normal position when the boat rests on the end blocks, but imme diately the boat is raised, even if slightly, the float will roll downwards and overboard, itself constituting a life-saving device.

The float is preferably provided with handles or other gripping devices adapted to take up a position such that the same may be easily grasped by persons in danger of drowning.

In the accompanying drawing is shown, by way of example, a practical construction of a life-boat according to the invention. Fig. 1 is an outside view of the boat: Fig. 2 a view of the boat when capsized; Fig. 3 is an amidship section of the boat when stowed on board ship; Fig. 4 shows in amid-ship section the boat capsized on the water; Fig. 5 is an outside end view of the boat; and Fig. 6 is a detail section to a larger scale than the other figures.

,Referring to the drawing, 1 denotes the boat hull having side walls which extend fore and aft, the bottom presenting a concavity 2 up swept at the ends to join the stern post 3 and stem at. 5 and 6 denote side heels or bilge keels at the intersection of the outer bottom and the side walls, the outer bottom between said heels and said concavity being flat as shown at 7 and 8. 9 denotes water-tight compartments between the inner bottom constituted by a movable plank and the outer bot tom, said compartments serving to contain stores, and presenting openings adapted to be closed water-tightly by doors 10 in the inner bottom adapted to be opened from within the boat and doors 11 in the flat portions of the outer bottom adapted to be opened from outside the boat, the doors 11 being accessible when the boat is capsized. On board ship, on deck, are two blocks 12 on the shouldered upper faces 13 of which rest the flats 7 and 8, the dimensions of said blocks being such that the side heels are beyond the ends of the blocks, as seen in Fi a 3, in a manner to prevent side shift of the boat. In the space beneath the hull of the boat, that is, housed in the concavity of the outer bottom, is a float 14, of generally cylindrical form, resting on wedges 15, the upper faces 16 of which are inclined downwards towards the side 17 of the ship.

It will be seen that, as soon as the boat is sufflciently lifted, the float 14 will roll down automatically and fall into the water. This float presents handles or other grips 18. In order to render these handles or the like readily accessible, the float is weighted, that is, presents a heavy portion 19 which ensures a determined and suitable disposition of the float when in the water such that the grips will be out of the water. a

It is to be understood that many practical modifications may be adopted without departure from the invention and that additional details can be incorporated, as, for example,

arrangements of handles 26, steps, or the like, at the ends of the concavity.

It is also to be understood that, mutatis mutandis, the invention is applicable not only to ships life-boats, but also to rafts, and like life-saving apparatus for use at sea.

A raft or the like constructed according to this invention embodies the constructional features hereinbefore described but differs from a boat in that it is not provided with a stem and stern post.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. Life-saving apparatus for use at sea comprising a boat, raft or the like provided with two side walls which extend fore and aft, an inner bottom, an outer bottom having a concavity, two side or bilge keels located at the intersection of the said outer bottom and said walls, the said outer bottom between said keels and the edges of said concavity being flat, and doors in said flat portion of the outer bottom and in said inner bottom adapted to permit access to the space between said bottoms, the said concavity in said outer bottom being adapted when the apparatus is stowed on board ship to house an independent float resting on inclined supports.

2. A life-boat or the like as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that, when on board shi the boat rests on blocks in a manner suc that the engagement of the keels with the blocks prevents side shift of the boat.

3. As an adjunct to the apparatus claimed in claim 1 a float of generally cylindrical form having handles or grips and so weighted as when afloat to assume a position such as to maintain above Water handles or grips on the float.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ING. LUIGI GHIRARDI. 

